When two electronic devices are connected to a network (e.g., a computer or communication network), data may be transmitted between the two devices over the network using one or more suitable network protocols. For example, in a client-server environment, data may be transmitted between a server and a client over a network to which both the server and the client are connected. Of course, a network may include any number of sub-networks. By transmitting data between the two devices, the two devices may communicate with each other.
In network communications, there are two ways to send a communication from one device to another device: push and pull. With push technology, the request for the communication transaction is initiated by the sending device. That is, the sending device “pushes” the communication, so to speak, to the receiving device. In this case, the sending device may be considered the active party and the receiving device may be considered the passive party in the transaction. In contrast, with pull technology, the request for the communication transaction is initiated by the receiving device. That is, the receiving device “pulls” the communication, so to speak, from the sending device. In this case, the sending device may be considered the passive party and the receiving device may be considered the active party in the transaction.